Last year, my best friend and I decided that we needed to take a trip in the summer outside of British Columbia before the fall semester of 2023. The trips we had taken previously had only been with our family, so we had never received the opportunity to plan and organize a trip on our own. We decided to go to Toronto, Ontario which had consistently been hyped up for its nightlife, social scene, restaurants, views and so much more. And even though we had only been there for a week, this trip had three eventful days that I will be rating and have in my memories for a long time. 

Day One: First Day 

Our first day in Toronto consisted of us getting settled into our Airbnb which was located in a small town called “Corso Italia,” getting used to the town, and later going to a nightclub. Public transportation, fast food, and other necessities were all close by and accessible which made this first step of our trip smooth. We decided to visit a club called “Toybox” located in downtown Toronto. My first impression of the club was of how huge it was compared to the ones in downtown Vancouver. But the increase in size also meant an increase in people leading to a very crowded club. The music played at Toybox was good, but very TikTok’y making me miss throwback music. 

Although clubbing downtown was not too bad, trying to get an Uber to go home was nearly impossible. It was pretty common for Ubers to cancel, even if they were 2 minutes away. This was incredibly frustrating, but after what felt like 45 minutes, we finally got an Uber home. 

Day One Experience: 7/10 

Day Four: Chaos Day 

I will begin this paragraph by saying that this was the worst day of the entire trip. The start of this day was exciting and memorable as we attended a Niagara Falls tour that included a boat tour. Being so close to the Falls was exciting and incredibly nerve-wracking, especially since we both can not swim (I know, I know). Additionally, our tour guide made the commentary and freedom portion of the trip entertaining and interactive.  

But everything went downhill after we left the falls to go home. I am partially to blame for this since my friend usually controlled the directions and always got us home safely. But I decided to take charge and lead us… in the wrong direction. First, we missed many buses because of Toronto’s confusing metro system. Second, we ran into an organization spokesperson who would not leave me alone unless I donated money to his organization that I knew nothing about. 

This was irritating as I initially thought it would resemble a Vancouver organization situation, in that they would brief you on the organization and allow you to decide whether you would like to donate in the future. BUT NO. I was getting asked for my credit card details ON THE STREET. 

We eventually escaped after coming up with an excuse, into getting yelled at by a transit operator for not properly reading the signs when approaching the station. We did not know how to enter the station, we did not know where our bus was located, and all we did know was that we were trying to go home. I do understand how frustrating it can be having to repeat the same things, but the build-up anger this individual had to yell so loud and so much (even after we walked away from the area) was way too much. 

Day Four Experience: 4/10 – Niagara was a 10, but it dropped 6 points due to the chaos afterwards 

Definetely had a shot of… um… juice when we got home… 

Day Seven: Last Day 

Our last day in Toronto was bittersweet as we eventually discovered our love for the city AFTER the craziness of day four took place. The CNE, beautiful restaurants, the University of Toronto, fun and humorous people, and of course getting to plan a trip and spend time with my best friend, all made this trip worthwhile. On our last day, we got ourselves prepped and ready to leave Toronto, watched some movies, and ate A LOT of our leftover grocery food.

In the evening we decided to fully dress up and go out clubbing again. The heels were a pain, but they were worth it. We met so many cool people and we visited Toybox again and another smaller club that was hot, but fun. Finding an Uber to go back to our Airbnb was a pain, as expected, but if I could relive that night all over again, I would do so in a heartbeat. 

Day Seven Experience: 10/10